Texas going blue? Weight-loss pills? Check out the week’s best opinion pieces
From warnings about Republican infighting to debates over weight-loss medication and World Cup anxieties, the Star-Telegram opinion section tackles issues shaping North Texas. Here’s a quick look at what writers argued this week — and why you should read the full pieces.
- Columnist Bud Kennedy reports that former Texas GOP chairman Steve Munisteri is sounding the alarm to Republicans that Democrat James Talarico could win a U.S. Senate seat if the party keeps tearing itself apart after the May 29 runoff — and he’s pointing to a 1961 race as a cautionary tale.
- Opinion Editor Ryan J. Rusak weighs in on the buzz around Talarico as a possible 2028 vice presidential pick, sharing what the candidate told the Editorial Board about serving a full Senate term — and drawing a revealing parallel to a young senator who made the same pledge in 2006.
- Ann Zadeh, executive director of Community Design Fort Worth and a former City Council member, argues that Fort Worth’s growth-at-all-costs model is breaking down, leaving the city unable to afford basic infrastructure. And she lays out what a more fiscally resilient approach would look like.
- Dr. Bobbie Kumar, a physician practicing in Dallas-Fort Worth, says the FDA’s approval of the new oral GLP-1 pill orforglipron strips away the last excuses for treating obesity as a moral failing rather than a chronic disease. She challenges colleagues to confront the bias baked into medical care.
- Historian Michael Phillips warns that Arlington’s nine World Cup matches face a global backlash over Trump administration immigration policies and ICE enforcement. He proposes specific steps Dallas-Fort Worth-area cities can take to reassure international fans. U.S. Reps. Roger Williams of Willow Park and Beth Van Duyne of Irving, both Republicans on the House Small Business Committee, make the case that North Texas Main Street businesses stand to be the biggest winners of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, citing eye-popping projected economic numbers for Dallas and the broader region.
The summary points above were compiled with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists. The original reporting was written by journalists or contributors and edited by Star-Telegram editors.
Ryan J. Rusak
Opinion Contributor,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram